23/04/2025
Thank You, DTI Surigao del Norte for sharing our story. 🥰💛
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁
Kanto Ta Par, originally named Classico Ta Par, began as a street food cart along the Boulevard of General Luna in November 2020. It was founded by five childhood best friends—Arby, Paolo, Michael, Ralph, and Jay R. The idea for the business came from their shared passion for classic big bikes, which they planned to customize into food carts, inspiring the name Classico Ta Par.
Due to a lack of financial resources and the absence of job opportunities after the pandemic, they decided to start selling Pinoy street food. From 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, they parked their bikes with street food products displayed on top, offering a variety of popular snacks such as isaw, proben, kwek-kwek, siomai, and dynamite. Cooking the food on-site, they operated just like other street food vendors. Despite the challenges, the co-owners remained committed to their vision and successfully grew their business.
Meanwhile, the founder of Classico Ta Par, Mr. Arby Alvarez, was inspired by Thailand's street food pop-up concept. He believed that Filipinos love to eat street food, especially their own unique Pinoy street food products, which he also personally relates to. Therefore, he came up with the idea to do the same here in his hometown, General Luna, Siargao Island. He shared his ideas with his friends and invited them to invest. He even created different types of homemade sauces—Spicy, Sweet, Ngohiong Sauce, Chili Garlic, and Vinegar—which received great feedback from repeat customers. These sauces defined the taste preferences of local customers, keeping them coming back for more. This is how the business became known.
In 2021, Classico Ta Par found a stable location where customers could sit and dine, situated at the corner across from the Municipal Hall. This led to the business being renamed ‘Kanto Ta Par Grill and Restaurant.’ ‘Kanto’ is a Bisaya word meaning ‘corner,’ ‘Ta’ is an inviting term meaning ‘let’s go,’ and ‘Par’ is a millennial slang derived from ‘Kumpare/Pare,’ a term for a male buddy or friend.
Unfortunately, before the year 2021 ended, Super Typhoon Odette hit the island, affecting business establishments. Days to Weeks to Months later, co-owners had personal struggles and conflicts to run the business, and most of them decided to leave and make their career path. The founder Mr. Arby Alvarez was left alone to run the business. However, he remained optimistic in managing the business. He renovated and expanded the store. He also decided to add barbecue to his menu and even hired employees to build his team. Despite the struggles and challenges he encountered, he continues to thrive. With the support of his family and longtime live-in partner, Kanto Ta Par has been able to operate successfully.
Later on, Kanto ta Par innovated one of the street foods they sell—the Crunchy Butcheron. This product comes with locally made spicy vinegar inside the pack, extending its shelf life to at least three months. Crunchy Butcheron is made from chicken crop (butchi), and the owner personally oversees production with the help of his live-in partner.
Kanto Ta Par not only sells Crunchy Butcheron in their physical store but also produces bulk Butcheron packs, delivering them to various store outlets in General Luna, Dapa, and Surigao City. These outlets include grocery stores, mini-marts, souvenir shops, as well as OTOP HUB Luneta and OTOP HUB City Mall.
Launched in 2024, Kanto ta Par also offers a 'turo-turo street food' package for various events, including weddings, birthdays, festivals, thanksgiving celebrations, seminars, and Christmas parties. The idea behind this venture began with a newlywed couple, who were loyal customers of Kanto Ta Par, came personally to the store and invited Kanto Ta Par to be one of the food stations at their wedding event. They saw this as an opportunity to give the business more exposure while also helping it generate additional income. Since then, Kanto Ta Par has received more bookings and proceeds with catering to different kinds of events.
On November 12, 2024, Kanto Ta Par Grill and Restaurant opened its first branch in Barangay 6, Dapa, Siargao Island. With its growing success, the business envisions expanding with more branches, not only in Siargao Island but also on the mainland of Surigao del Norte.
With all the blessings and opportunities brought by Kanto Ta Par Grill and Restaurant, the owner, Mr. Arby, is motivated to do more. He looks forward to improving and growing the business, making it more profitable, and continuing to inspire others with his unwavering determination—proving that even in the face of adversity, success is possible through hard work, family support, and a shared dream.
